This past week the National Assessment of Educational Progress put out its annual report on the achievement levels of fourth and eighth graders in this nation. This assessment is done by taking a random sample of students from each state; local school districts have been involved in the past, comparing them to previous year’s achievement.

The news this year isn’t much different than in past years. They figure about 35 percent of kids are “proficient” in mathematics. When we compare our nation’s students to students in other countries, we tend to be, depending upon what measurement, somewhere in the 20 to 30th place when compared to the rest of the developed world.

I believe that there three possible reasons for this. Is it the genetics? If so I don’t think there is much hope. Is it the water? There are school districts in this country that seem to do quite well on most assessments. Perhaps we could get a truckload of water every week from them. Or is it the will? As a former school board member in South Puget Sound, I would have to suggest that “will” was hard to find. One superintendent, when discussing possible measures to change achievement levels, stated, “Our community isn’t ready for this.” Sadly the rest of the world seems to be “ready” for much of what probably needs to happen to prepare our children for the 21st Century.

A look at the minutes of local school board meetings would tend to confirm that it is “business as usual,” with the usual complaints and blame upon either Olympia or the feds for lack of funding, while the districts continue to spend vast sums on distractions, entertainment and disruptions that our international rivals consider to be absurdities. Attempts to change the system, which most agree isn’t working, are not mentioned very often in the school board minutes.

In fact I have now seen two documentaries in Europe on the American high school, which they consider as fascinating as we might see the raising of lesser bandicoots

While there is general agreement that education, beyond high school, is almost mandatory for success, this state is 42nd in the nation in high school completion. The Kent School District is below the state average for high school completion and is located in the heart of the aerospace industry.

This is not a pattern that one would suggest for the prosperity of South Puget Sound, and it should be mentioned that surrounding school districts aren’t doing any better.

Employers looking for promising new hires from our school systems learn that they can’t be found in most cases.

OK, what should we do? Notice that it is “we,” not someone else. A look at attendance at local school board meetings would suggest that there isn’t a “we!” This is our major problem, lack of adult concern about what is happening in our schools. Part of this problem rests with our school boards. They don’t seem to want to engage in any two-way discussions about education, certainly if the discussion has any connotations that improvements are needed.

Visiting school districts that have higher achievement levels than those of South Puget Sound, one tends to find that the adults in those communities are far more interested in improving the education of their community’s children. Perhaps this is the case because many of these school boards hold candid discussions with their constituents.

What I tend to find as I attend school board meetings in South Puget Sound is a “PR” event where, as I put it, they “Pour Maple Syrup on Lutefisk.” They cite accomplishments of a very few, while neglecting to even discuss what material steps they could take to increase the accomplishment of the majority.

Improving our schools, and therefore our communities, is going to take the involvement of far more people and a tolerance for critical discussions about educating children.

There are places in this world where education has a much higher priority than in South Puget Sound. The results of this should alarm even those who are sitting in front of their flat screens.

Charles Hoff lives in Kent. He was a former deputy superintendent and school board member for the Federal Way School District and currently he is a college admissions counselor.